


Oceans Nein

by Tea__Bee



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Cold War AU I guess?, F/M, M/M, The Man from U.N.C.L.E(2015) AU, Violence but not graphic, background fjorester, d&d races, no magic, slow burn widomauk, spy AU, tortue in a late chapter but again not graphic, use of guns, vague attempts at 1960s slang, widomauk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-07-28 19:13:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20069137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tea__Bee/pseuds/Tea__Bee
Summary: A mysterious criminal organization plans to use nuclear weapons and technology to upset the fragile balance of power between the Empire and their Zemnian allies.Empire agents Fjord, Jester, and Beauregard, and Zemnian agents Caleb and Nott are forced to put aside their hostilities and work together to stop the evildoers in their tracks.The unlikely team's only lead is the adopted son of a kidnapped Xhorhasian scientist, whom they must find soon to prevent a global catastrophe.





	1. Escape from Xhorhas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know the title is slightly misleading, this is a spy au not a heist au, but the joke was too good to pass up. 
> 
> Thanks to Swag for spurring me on to work on this! I always try to fit my various hyperfixations and fandoms into TMFU and this time it actually works! 
> 
> I'm going to try to keep up a posting schedule on every other week, but I've never written longfic before so we'll see how it goes. 
> 
> Bee

The closer one got to the wall dividing Xhorhas from the Empire, the grayer everything seemed. Not only the vast expanse of concrete that made up the wall, and the uniforms of the guards at every checkpoint, but the atmosphere of the place. Unlike other parts of the world where color and life and prosperity had returned after the war had ended, here it seemed that one war had just blended into a second, and the people continued to suffer. 

Amongst all of the gray, it honestly wasn't that difficult to spot the three Empire agents making their way to the gate. The blue tiefling, in her honey-yellow, sleeveless a-line dress and the technicolor floral scarf she had tied jauntily around her neck, certainly turned heads as she made her way through the little border town that had been overrun by military personnel. Her partners, while a bit less obvious, were still different enough that they were watched. It wasn't often that people crossed the wall in this area, let alone a dapper half-orc with variegated green skin wearing a clean gray suit and a human woman in navy plaid high waisted trousers and vest over her sleeveless navy turtleneck with what could only be described as a swagger to her walk, following a peppy blue tiefling.

"State your names." The head guard said as they approached the checkpoint, not looking up from his clipboard.

The half-orc placed his briefcase on the table for inspection. He tipped his striped linen ivy cap at the guard and presented his ID, "The name's Fjord." He nudged his human companion to do the same. 

She rolled her eyes and complied, barely looking at the guard. "Beauregard." She leaned against the table, scanning the area with a deceptively casual expression and pulling on the neck of her turtleneck. But behind her sunglasses, her eyes were sharp. 

"I am Jester!" The blue tiefling chirped, hefting her bag onto the table next to Fjord's. More guards gathered, looking through the many inner pockets of her oddly garish bag, trying to make sure they found all the hidden compartments as she chattered on, seemingly more excited about visiting the area than anyone could fathom. 

They knew of course, that they were being watched. Beau had clocked a small figure darting in and out of the crowd, following them for most of the walk through the border town. The figure seemed to think they were keeping enough distance so as not to be noticed, but she knew what she was looking for. Fjord had also spotted a tall red haired man in a mirror who almost seemed like he didn't care about hiding that he was watching the trio. Jester of course had spotted them both, but kept up her facade of blitheness that allowed her to observe without anyone thinking she noticed anything. 

A tank rumbled down the street, flanked by armed guards ready to quell any townsfolk who dared get in the way. Fjord straightened his suit coat and frowned. He grabbed his briefcase as the guards finished checking Jester's bag and the trio set off through the gate into Xhorhas.

…

Finding the little mechanic shop on the other side of the wall wasn't particularly difficult, their intel had been pretty accurate. It was a dingy gray building, much like the other buildings surrounding it, situated at the end of a narrow road that dead ended in a bone yard full of scrap metal and junk cars. What set it apart was the small flowers painted around the faded sign, scattered near the small window on the front wall. The trio hadn't seen any flowers since entering Xhorhas, certainly none living, but these had been hand painted with love and relieved a little of the gloom with their brightness. Jester exclaimed at the sight of them.

"Oh, look at the sweet little flowers someone painted! The brief didn't say they were so _ cute." _ She reached a hand toward her bag. "Do you think I could add a couple? They probably wouldn't even notice, probably. I can paint very, very nice ones!"

Beau stopped her, putting a hand over hers on the top of the brightly colored bag. "We don't have time. We have to get in, get the target, and get out." Jester sighed and nodded as they walked into the shop. Beau walked ahead, confidently approaching a tall, broad woman with dark hair working on an engine block. "We're looking for a Mollymauk Tealeaf," she flashed her badge. "He around here?" The woman looked Beau up and down and nodded her head, gesturing behind her without a word. 

A pair of legs, clad in rough coveralls, stuck out from underneath a car on the other side of the garage. Beau nudged the underside of one of the boots with her toe and there was a sigh. "Don't flip your wig, Yash, I'll be out in a sec. I swear, I'll have this thing bookin' in no time." There was a clatter of tools being set down, then a pair of purple hands gripped the edge of the car and out slid a tiefling with his hair tied back in a scarf, wearing a tank top. There was grease smeared on his face and arms and the top half of his coveralls was tied around his waist. He sat up and brushed his hands off as he cocked his head to the side and looked Beau up and down skeptically. "You look important," he took in Jester rummaging through her bag on Yasha's desk and Fjord flanking Beau. "Or at least, your friends do."

"Well, we can get you over the wall into the Empire. That important enough for you, pal?" Beau scoffed. 

Fjord sighed, already thinking of ways to calm the situation, but Molly just laughed. "A smart mouth. Didn't expect that one. That kind of talk can get you in a lot of trouble around here. More importantly, it can get me and Yasha into trouble."

"Or it can get you out of it," Fjord interjected, stepping forward. "Been making some midnight auto supply runs? This doesn't look like a standard issue engine. Probably goes pretty fast when you want it to." He paused meaningfully and looked at Mollymauk with a dark brow quirked. "But we're not here to bust you. We're here to have a chat about your father."

"Well you're outta luck, mister, because I don't have one." Mollymauk's tail flicked with irritation and he glanced over Fjord's shoulder at Yasha. 

Fjord sighed and held a hand out to Jester, who passed a few pictures to him from her bag and continued to rummage around. "Yes, our records show you never knew your biological family, but we're looking for your foster father, Dr. Gustav Fletcher." He held out a slightly blurry picture of the half-elf.

"You're out of luck, I haven't seen or heard from Gustav in 5 years." Mollymauk stood and took the picture with a furrowed brow. 

"Well, after the war, he defected and came to work for the Empire. Good guy, nice little house in the 'burbs, had a fat calico cat named Slinky. Worked on his various jobs for the government, projects for the military and such. Got blitzed at the local bar now and again, but otherwise he was happy as a clam. Then last year, he just up and vanished. Until now. This," he tapped the picture in Mollymauk's hand. "Was taken last week in Port Damali." 

"So he's in Port Damali. What do you need me for?" He handed the picture back to Fjord.

"The people he's with are… less than savoury folk. If they get their hands on the type of thing he was making for us, well. Could get bad." Fjord grimaced.

"End of the world bad." Beau grumbled. Jester waved her over and handed her a small device. "Fjord." She tossed it to him and he looked at it for a moment before speaking again.

"Mollymauk, is it?" Fjord looked him over.

"Yeah. Molly, to my _ friends _ anyway." He narrowed his eyes at the blinking light on the little metal square. "What's that?"

"Mollymauk, your foster father doesn't seem to be working voluntarily with these people." He snapped the light off of the device and pulled a couple wires out. "We believe they kidnapped him, and are forcing him to recreate something he was working on during the war but hadn't quite perfected. We want to help him come home. You can help us help him."

"How? What can _ I _ do? I'm a _ mechanic _ ." Molly sighed and ran his hand across his face. "What _ is _ that?"

Fjord finished disassembling the device and handed the pieces back to Beau, who tossed them into a nearby trash can. "A tracking device. Look, if we had the time, I'd let Jes' pull out some pastries, we'd have a nice pleasant chat and we'd be on our way, but," he looked over his shoulder to where Beau was looking through the dusty window. She glanced at him with an urgent look on her face. "We don't have that kind of time. So either you come with us now, and we're all safe and cozy in a little hotel on the other side of the wall in less than an hour. Or, the people who put that tracker in Jester's bag find you here, in the last place it was functional. I have a feeling they won't be so nice about the whole situation."

Yasha stood up and spoke for the first time since the trio had walked into the shop. "Molly, you should go with them. I don't want you to get hurt, and they look like they can keep you safer than I can." 

Molly sighed. "Fine. As long as you guys promise Yasha will be safe here without me."

Fjord looked at Beau, who nodded and started to type something into her military-issued pager. "Someone will watch out for her."

Jester, who had finished putting everything back in her bag and slung it over her shoulder, walked over to the hood of the car Molly had been working on and chimed in, smiling. "Can we borrow your car?" 

…

Yasha and Molly walked out of the shop like they did every night. Yasha locked the door, Molly leaning against the wall and waiting for her, then turned to give him a hug. "Be safe," she whispered. 

From the outside, it looked like their routine, like every other night Molly would make supply runs. Molly walked to his car and stopped to watch Yasha cross the street to their apartment. The second the door shut behind her, he got in the car and took a deep breath. 

"Just drive down the street like you normally do. I will give you directions. You're doing great!" Jester said in a stage whisper from where she was curled up in the foot space of the passenger seat. A map was spread on the seat, and her fingers traced a marked route. 

"We couldn't have taken a bigger car?" Beau grumbled from where she lay on the floor of the back seat. Fjord was stretched across the seat itself, his head resting on the door because he was a little too tall to lay down all the way. 

"Bigger car wouldn't have been as fast, and if we have to outrun them, this car will be much more suitable." Fjord said quietly. "Mollymauk, is that car that was parked across from the shop following us?"

"How am I supposed to know what car was parked- oh. Yes." He said as the car in question came into view. 

"Jes', can you hand me the paper bag I had you hold onto for me?" 

Her hand darted into her big pink bag and grabbed a suspiciously pistol-shaped object wrapped in a paper bag, quickly handing it to Fjord. Molly cursed under his breath as the car pulled up next to them at the stop light.

"Do you only see the one? Just hum if you do." Fjord asked. Molly slid his eyes to the side without moving his head and hummed. "Do they have just one hand on the steering wheel?"

Molly looked to the side and saw the form of a tall man with red hair and a strong jaw. His eyes were covered by shadow from his hat, but Molly felt like he could still feel his gaze burning into his own. One hand rested on the top of the wheel. He swallowed and let out a quiet hum, giving the man an unassuming smile before he looked back toward the light. It was still red.

"When you hear something that sounds like gunshots, book it." Fjord said through gritted teeth.

Molly kept his eyes on the bright red light. On second passed, then two. Then Fjord sat up quickly, two muffled shots rang out, along with the sound of shattering glass, and Molly shifted and slammed his foot down on the gas, disregarding the longest stoplight in town.

Jester bounced on her knees in the well of the passenger seat, "Did you get him?"

Beau pulled out her own gun. "Let's hope he doesn't drive as fast as he moves."

Molly's eyes flicked up to the rear view mirror. "I've got bad news." The car was already catching up to them. "He does." 

Jester pulled herself up into the seat and pointed at the map. "Take a right!" 

Molly jerked the wheel, sending the car drifting around the corner, tires squealing, but the other car flew right along next to them. 

Jester pointed across the dash, "Next left, go!"

The two cars slammed into each other, skidding along the turn hard and fast. Molly gritted his teeth. He shifted again, pulling the wheel to the other side and pushing back against the other car and sending them into a spin. After four rotations, Molly jerked the wheel again to the right and straightened the car right before coming to a fork in the road. Molly took the right fork and the other car ricocheted to the left, where the road dead ended. 

Molly kept driving, not letting up on the speed, but it became clear the dead end had thrown the other driver off enough to get them off their back. 

"Nicely done." Beau relaxed against the seat. 

"Hold on." Molly grunted, shifting gear and spinning into an empty spot in a row of parked cars and turning off the car's lights. "Get down!" 

Everyone ducked as the car that had been following them sped right past.

"Is he gone?" Jester asked, lifting her head to look out the window.

"I doubt it." Beau got out of the car. "Jester, plan B. Tealeaf, go back down the sidewalk to avoid him when he turns around, and go around the block." She started to close the door, then stopped and looked back at him. "Meet me back here. Do _ not _ leave me here on the side of the road. Got it?"

Molly rolled his eyes. "Solid." He turned the car back on and kept an eye on the tail lights of the other car. When it got close enough, he pulled the car in reverse behind the other cars in the row at the same time the red haired man drove in the opposite direction, missing them completely. 

As Mollymauk drove around the block, Beau stepped out from behind the van she'd hidden behind and aimed, tilting her head. One quick shot and the man's car swerved, the blown tire throwing it out of control, and ran into a brick wall. As it began to smoke, Molly's car pulled back around the corner and stopped on a dime right before hitting Beau. She took a step back as the front of the car whipped around the corner and nearly hit her shins. Molly smirked and shrugged and Beau sighed and rolled her eyes before getting back into the car. The tires squealed as Molly peeled out, fish-tailing for a moment before they sped off. 

They made it about a block, and Molly started to think they’d get over the wall easy from here on out.

Then another shot fired.

The car lurched, and Molly had to wrestle with the wheel to keep it on the road. Jester flung out a hand to brace herself against the dash while keeping her eyes on the map. Beau bit off a curse as she and Fjord jostled into each other in the back. Molly glanced at the rear view and his eyes widened.

“Uh, you guys should take a peek out the back.” He shook his head, slightly impressed despite the stressful situation. 

Jester’s head whipped away from the map and she gasped. Beau jumped up and perched backwards on the seat, not bothering with a seat belt even through the whole tumultuous ride, and Fjord turned to glance calmly out the back window. Running about a block behind them, and gaining _ way _quicker than should have been possible, was the red haired man, with a smaller figure Molly hadn’t seen before sprinting just behind him. Beau and Jester shared a glance, knowing the second figure was the one they’d seen before. 

The busted wheel shooting sparks out behind them seriously slowed them down, and the tall, imposing man caught up, grabbing the handle of the trunk and holding on, his long coat billowing in the wind as his feet slid along the road.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Beau yelled. “Molly, speed up, we gotta lose him!”

“You don’t think I’m trying? I’m down a tire!” Molly worked the steering wheel back and forth and managed to dislodge the man, and the hood of the trunk with him, regaining some speed.

“No way!” Beau yelled, right before the car shook with an impact. “He _ threw _ the little one!” 

Molly glanced at the mirror again and saw the small figure, perched in the now-open trunk, banging their fist on the glass of the window as they tried to break in. Now that the figure was closer, Molly could make out sharp teeth gritted in a snarl, but the rest of the face was still in shadow under the person’s hood. “Shoot them already, would you?” Molly yelled.

Fjord put his hand over Beau’s as she reached for her gun. “This is pretty impressive, honestly. It just doesn’t seem fair to me.”

“We can toss them! Sharp left here, then the first right!” Jester chirped, and Molly followed directions, whipping the car around one corner, then the second, and managed to throw the small cloaked figure into a pile of trash bins. 

Focusing on the new road in front of them, Molly realized it was little more than an alleyway, and it narrowed as it went on, ending in a small outlet. Too small for the car. “Okay, this is definitely a dead end!”

“No, this is exactly where we want to go!” Jester folded the map. “You’re probably gonna need to put the pedal to the metal, though, probably.” She shot him a quick grin.

“It’s getting narrower!” Molly yelled, panicked.

“All part of the plan,” Beau patted him on the shoulder and braced herself against Jester’s seat. Molly glanced back and saw Fjord sigh and shake his head while he checked his seat belt. 

Molly shifted and pressed hard on the pedal as the walls closed in. The car kicked forward, and sparks flew on either side as it scraped against the masonry walls, only managing to gain a few more feet before screeching to a halt, stuck. Molly let out an exasperated sigh and looked at the three passengers. “Happy?”

“Perfect!” Jester clapped her hands excitedly.

“So what, now we just wait for them to catch up? After I lost them? And wrecked my car?” He glared at Beau, who leaned forward. 

“Take a left,” she smirked at him. “Through the window.”

Molly’s jaw dropped as he looked to his left. Sure enough, the car window lined up with the bottom half of a side window of the apartment wall that held the car in place on the driver's side. Jester leaned over him, cranking the window down. Rolling his eyes, Molly climbed through, followed by Jester, then Fjord, and lastly Beau, and they all took off running for the roof access. The distant sound of sirens rang out behind them

…

As he ran after the car that had thrown his companion and turned a corner, the tall red-haired man saw the city guard amassing at the end of a narrow alley, fresh tire marks at their feet. 

“Out of my way!” He yelled, not stopping. “Get out of my way!” They drew their guns as he skidded to a halt in front of them. “I have to catch that tiefling, get _ out of my way!” _ He growled. 

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to stand down.” A guard with his hands out cautioned, his team all pointing their guns menacingly in the man’s direction.

“Caleb, _ duck!” _ A voice rang out and he dropped into a crouch as shots rang out. Two of the three guards with guns fell, the third shouting as a dark shape collided with his knee with a sickening crunch. Before he could hit the ground, the shape sprung up, wrapped itself around one of the arms of the unarmed guard standing in front of Caleb. Caleb winced as the small goblin woman, his partner, snapped the man’s wrist and hit him over the head, knocking him out. When all the men lay on the ground, unconscious or at least too injured to follow them, the pair took off again after the group that was smuggling the tiefling out of the city. 

_ “Danke, _ Nott.” Caleb said as they ran down the alley. He held out a hand as they reached the car they’d been chasing stuck between two high stone walls. She took it and he swung her up onto the roof of the car ahead of him. She hopped down through the top half of the window that was visible over the top of the car, and he climbed up and followed her. He took quick stock of the layout and realized they’d likely headed for the roof, so he started up the stairs after them, with Nott running behind him.

After four flights of stairs, they came to the ladder that lead to the roof hatch. Nott started to climb first, but when she pushed the hatch, it stopped, only opening about half an inch and clanging as the latch caught. She hopped back down and moved aside for Caleb to try, with no luck. He pushed it roughly a few times before she yelled for him to move aside. He got down and she shot at the hatch a few times, growling under her breath when it still didn’t budge. Caleb sighed and looked around him. 

An old woman peeked out from behind an apartment door across the hall, and he rushed over before she could close it, “Excuse me, Grandmother, but we need to use your fire escape,” he said as he backed away from him, scared. _ “Nein, _ do not worry, we are just leaving.” He strode past her and opened the far window of her small apartment, ushering Nott through to the metal staircase. He turned back and tipped his hat at the woman before climbing up to the roof.

…

As Jester pulled Molly up through the roof hatch behind her, Beau slammed it shut and slid a bar through the latch. 

“What are we doing up here?” Molly looked out over the edge and saw the top of the forty-foot thick wall below them, and the world outside Xhorhas beyond it. 

“We are looking,” Fjord took out a small flashlight and turned it on and off several times in succession, “for Agent Feelid.” A box truck with a canvas cover backed up on a side street visible across the wall. The canvas back rolled up to reveal a half-elf operating a grappling hook launcher. Fjord stepped back from the edge of the roof as the hook came at them, hooking onto the thick chimney of the apartment building, with a line pulled taut that Beau stepped up to test. 

Jester looked back at the hatch as it started to rattle, but the bar held it shut. She jumped away slightly when shots rang out beneath it, and laughed at the dents the bullets made. “Guys, we better get moving!” Beau hooked herself to the line and slide down into the truck, and Fjord followed. Jester held her arms out to Molly after hooking herself on. “Hug me!” Molly looked behind him as he heard someone climbing up the fire escape and over the back side of the building. He met the tall man’s blue eyes and swallowed, latching onto Jester and jumping over the edge with her.

Caleb ran to the edge as they jumped, then jogged back a few feet, shucked his jacket off and threw it over the line. Nott wrapped herself around his leg as he jumped and started to slide after them.

The second Jester and Molly’s feet hit the bed of the truck, Fjord tapped the side twice and the driver backed up, giving the line enough slack that Caleb stopped sliding as his feet hit the dirt on top of the wall. Beau hit the release on the line and the truck drove away.

Molly held onto one of the truck’s supports and watched Xhorhas, and the wall separating it from the Empire, fade into the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh okay so originally I was going to wait to post any of this until I had several chapters written and backlogged but, no surprise, I got too excited(plus I told y'all this would start posting several weeks ago but I haven't done anything with it) soooo here we go!
> 
> I live and thrive on comments so please please tell me what you thought, it'll spur me on to write the next chapter haha
> 
> Bee


	2. Briefing: Part One - Meet Your New Partners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is a few days late(and a bit shorter), been dealing with a lot irl, but I hope you enjoy it!

The walls of the motel room were thin and covered in slightly nauseating green wallpaper with the pattern of leaves and burnt orange flowers that clashed with the navy-and-goldenrod striped chairs. The neighboring room's television could be heard clearly and any conversation outside the room Molly was sharing with the three Empire agents was drowned out by it's chatter. The room had smelled of dust and lingering heavy perfume, the sharp floral type an old woman would wear, when they'd arrived, but that smell had been overtaken by the smell of motor oil on Molly's coveralls at first and then the aroma of the dish Jester was preparing in the little kitchenette. She seemed to just be throwing in whatever was nearby, getting bits and bobs on the lollipop-patterned apron she had put on over her dress, but she also seemed to have a plan that was clear only to her. Molly only hoped that the food ended up edible, since he was starving after the harrowing night he'd just had. 

The blue and white plastic table in the kitchenette looked like it would topple if an elbow was rested on it, let alone an actual meal, and the blue vinyl-covered chairs that made the set didn't look any more promising, so Molly had curled up in one of the surprisingly plush, but annoyingly scratchy, striped chairs and thrown one leg up over the arm of it to poke Beau in the chair next to him. After the fourth poke, she slapped his boot clad foot away and stood to walk across the room. Molly looked at Fjord, who was leaned against the beige countertop reading some documents, his suit jacket off and shirt sleeves rolled up. "So, you lied to me."

Fjord looked up, "How is that, exactly?"

"This place isn't what I'd call cozy," he gestured at the room, "and it isn't even a proper hotel. It's barely a motel."

“What’s the difference?” Beau grumbled, stealing a but of whatever Jester was cooking and popping it in her mouth, only to realize just how hot something plucked straight from a simmering pot on a stove could be and puffed air out of her mouth to cool the morsel down. 

Jester laughed and swatted at her with the spoon she in her hand before wrapping her tail around Beau’s waist and resting their hips together. She scooped a careful spoonful of food to get a taste of the whole dish, blew on it gently and offered it to Beau, who blushed and accepted the mouthful. Jester smiled and said, "A hotel is bigger! And fancy, like my mama's, with a bunch of rooms and more floors, but a motel is little, and usually all on one floor, usually." She unfurled her tail from Beau's waist and got back to stirring the bubbling food. Beau stayed close, sitting in one of the rickety kitchen chairs, which creaked unsteadily. "Molly, do you want some dinner? I made beef bourguignon with a fancy wine Beau got me last week!" She winked conspiratorially and stage whispered, "I still have some of the wine left if you want some."

"I'd never turn down fancy wine." Molly took the half-empty bottle from Jester and jumped when there was a knock on the door. 

Fjord walked over to the door and opened it casually. “Agent Feelid.”

They stepped into the room and looked around at the other three agents, then Molly. “She’s here. She wants to see the three of you.”

Jester looked at Beau, who rolled her eyes and scoffed, getting out of the kitchen chair. Jester handed Molly a plate and took off her apron. Beau snatched the bottle of wine out of Molly’s hand. Fjord sighed and walked out of the room with them both trailing him.

…

“I trust Tealeaf was helpful?” An elf with dark skin and a bald head wearing a blue-gray suit with a long gray trench coat turned to look at them as they walked into the room. The television volume was up to cover any conversation from nosy neighbors that might be pressed to the thin walls and Beau rolled her eyes at the Empire propaganda it was showing.

“Not particularly, but he’s here.” Beau muttered, kicking at the beige carpeting with her toe. Fjord shot her a look, and she protested, “We were told this was going to be a  _ simple extraction! _ Go in, get the tiefling, see if he’ll get in with his uncle or foster-uncle or  _ whatever  _ and help the Empire get to Dr. Fletcher before he helps his kidnappers start up a whole new war with his inventions.” She took a swig from the wine bottle in her hand. “This was far from simple, Dairon! They were  _ waiting  _ for us. They chased us halfway across the city and nearly made it over the wall with us!”

“They made us wreck a car!” Jester chimed in happily. Fjord groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face. Agent Feelid coughed to hide a laugh.

“And that’s simplifying things! They tore the lid of the trunk off of the car, they shot our tire bare, it’s a good thing Tealeaf is such a good getaway driver or we’d all be done for!” Beau’s voice was increasing in volume, and Dairon simply looked amused. 

“But we got him here.” Fjord gestured in the direction of the room Molly was waiting for them in. “You have Tealeaf now. Our work here is done.”

The elf scoffed and smiled condescendingly, shaking her head. She circled around Beau with slow, calculating steps. “What gives you that idea?” The three agents’ faces fell and they looked hesitantly at each other before she spoke again. “Remind me. How long was your little group’s prison sentence? You all owe me five more years. Could turn out more, if you’re not careful.” She nodded to the bottle Beau was gripping angrily. “Don’t ever mistake my letting some things slide for ignorance. I’m fully aware we don’t pay enough for that fancy-pants wine Jester likes to cook with.” Jester sniffed and looked at her feet “Now. Buck up. You report for duty tomorrow morning at 9am, sharp. And with a better attitude.”

…

Fjord stood outside in the early morning fog. He didn’t want to get this into the thick of things, with this Fletcher situation. When you got this deep, things got messy. And he, Jester, and Beau, well, they’d seen messy before. He took a deep breath and shook his head, turning and walking through the door of the restaurant they were meeting Dairon in for their next brief. 

At least half the supposed patrons of the diner were Empire agents. They liked to think they blended in, and to the waitress, they probably did. She’d seen plenty of odd folk come through, and these wouldn’t be the last. Her white shoes tapped across the black and white tile floor as she handed out drinks and muffins and eggs in various ways. Jester flagged her down when she walked across the deserted patio outside and asked for a glass of milk, fluffing her curls and smiling at Beau, who asked for a coffee. Dairon stood near their table, facing out toward the lake and watching the ducks. 

Fjord joined them, leaning with his back against the railing. "Alright, Director Dairon, we're done waiting around, what are we gonna do with Mr. Tealeaf? What's the big plan here?"

Dairon smirked and looked at the patio entrance past Fjord's shoulder. "You aren't going to like it."

Beau stood rapidly at the sight of the two figures that had chased them through the streets of Xhorhas, now able to be seen more clearly in the daylight. The tall man was pale and freckled, with red hair and bright blue eyes below the brim of his hat. He looked broad-shouldered, but thinner than one might expect under his long, well-worn brown suede trench coat. The smaller figure was a dark green-skinned goblin woman with yellow eyes, wearing high waisted grey trousers with a yellow and grey horizontal-striped sweater tucked into them. 

As she stood, the goblin woman locked eyes with her and snarled, bared her teeth, and charged. Fjord lurched forward, pulling his gun at the same time as the man in the trench coat. They stood on either side of the two women, guns trained on each other. Jester looked at Dairon, shocked, the only one of the three Empire agents to immediately connect the dots.

Nott jumped up and clambered around onto Beau’s back before she could react, digging her claws into her navy leather jacket and holding on as Beau began to spin. Beau flailed her arms wildly trying to grab Nott and pull her off, but Nott was too fast, she whipped out a dagger and held it to Beau’s throat.

_ "Versuch deine neuen Partner nicht gleich am ersten Tag zu töten.” _ The Zemnian director, a sharp-featured, dark haired man with a goatee and blue skin that looked, even from a distance, moist, held up a hand to stop her.

Nott dropped the dagger and let go of Beau, jumping to the ground behind her and peeking around her legs. “Are you kidding me?” She growled. 

“What’d he say?” Beau said as she rubs her throat and stepped away from Nott.

Caleb spoke up with a frown, lowering his gun. “Try not to kill your new partners on your first day.” 

Beau’s jaw dropped open in shock. Fjord turned back to Dairon, who's face silently confirmed the words, and holstered his gun again, but didn't fully turn his back on the Zemnian agents. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments always appreciated!
> 
> Bee


End file.
